Prescription errors detected by Swedish pharmacists

Abstract

Prescription errors identified and dealt with by personnel at 36 Swedish community and hospital pharmacies during March, 1992, were analysed. During the study period, the participating pharmacies handled 76,956 prescriptions for 41,908 patients. All prescription errors, even minor ones, were registered. In total 32,132 errors were detected and reported, corresponding to an overall rate of 42 per cent. The most common error was omission of the purpose of the therapy. This type of error was found in 20,517 prescriptions (64 per cent of all noted errors). Most detected errors did not require any special intervention by the dispensing pharmacist. Errors of commission, which are potentially harmful to the patient, totalled 338 or 1 per cent of the errors. The most common of these was that the dosage form stated was incorrect. The pharmacists were able to resolve almost three-quarters of the errors that required intervention and dispense the elucidated or amended prescription.